MS Program - Teaching, Training

Education is an important component of the MS Program in Calgary. Integrated across clinical care and research facilities, our Faculty actively recruits and offers training and education opportunities for future care providers and researchers. In addition, our teams have lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on many aspects of MS treatment and care. Below is a summary of some of the education initiatives integrated within our Program:

Preceptorships: Due to the multidisciplinary nature of our Program and of the OPTIMUS Program, and because of our reputation for excellence, we host visiting physicians (neurologists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.) on a regular basis. These health care providers usually spend 1-5 days with our Program, sharing knowledge and observing our methods for providing care.

Continuing Professional Education: Almost all of the health professionals within our clinic are regularly involved in educational symposia as organizers, speakers, and/or attendees.  Along with our own weekly rounds, this keeps us up-to-date and allows us to share our expertise with other medical professionals.

For more information on additional continuing medical education initiatives through the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, please go to: http://www.cme.ucalgary.ca/

• Medical Students, Residents, and MS Fellows are frequently involved in the care of clinic patients.
  • Medical students are sometimes observers in the Calgary MS Clinic. In addition, many MS Clinic patients volunteer to participate in medical student teaching at the University of Calgary.
  • Residents (doctors who are training to be specialists) are also often involved in providing patient care during Calgary MS Clinic visits. Usually they perform the initial clinical assessment, but this is generally followed by review with an MS Clinic neurologist or physical medicine specialist.
  • Fellows are fully trained neurologists learning to be experts in MS. They may see patients independently, but this is always followed by discussion with a clinic neurologist. Sometimes there may be a complete review with a clinic neurologist, depending on how long a Fellow has been working with our Program, and how complex the problems are that the patient is facing. 
• Nursing students, including both undergraduate and graduate nursing students, are also involved in the Calgary MS Clinic. They may do a clinical practicum or gain community health experience through work with us.
• OPTIMUS provides yearly placements for occupational therapy and physical therapy students and occasionally for social work students.  Psychology interns also often spend 6-12 months part-time with the program.
• Medical office assistant studentships regularly occur in the MS Clinic. Medical office assistants manage incoming referrals, appointment bookings, telephones, and patient check-ins at the clinic. They also make sure clinic health professionals have the information that they need to manage patient visits and care between visits.
• Undergraduate university students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows studying to become health care providers or researchers also take part in our Program in various ways. Those undertaking MS research participate in our clinical rounds and often attend clinics as observers to better understand the challenges of the disease that they are working to cure.

The Calgary MS Program is active in the Canadian Network of MS Clinics and the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centres. These organizations provide opportunities for ongoing networking among professionals involved in MS care throughout North America.

Calgary is also one of five hubs for the EndMS Network (https://www.endmsnetwork.ca/en/Pages/default.aspx) funded by the MS Society of Canada.

 

Date Updated: 2010-06-23